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“Waterlicht” by Daan Roosegaarde at the UN
On March 22, “Waterlicht” by Daan Roosegaarde will be presented at the UN Headquarters
Thu, Mar 22 - Thu, Mar 22 2018
UN Headquarters - New York Consulate Region
“World Water Day”, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. This year’s World Water Day will be themed “Nature for Water” and it will feature the immersive lightshow “Waterlicht” by Daan Roosegaarde at the United Nations Security Council, New York, NY.
“Waterlicht” at the UN
Water has led to many Dutch innovations, but it is also a source of creative inspiration. On Thursday March 22, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag and representatives of various Dutch water companies will be present at the showing of “Waterlicht”, an artwork by Daan Roosegaarde on the premises of the UN Headquarters. “Waterlicht” demonstrates the power and impact of water, immersing visitors in a virtual flood that shows how much water levels could rise if people don’t take action. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy revealed how vulnerable society is, even a metropolis like New York, against the power of water. “Many of the world’s leading companies and knowledge institutions in the areas of water and water management are Dutch,” Ms Kaag says. “They’ve proven their worth in New York and elsewhere. The Netherlands is always ready to provide support and expertise. Not only in the wake of naturaldisasters, but – equally importantly – to prevent them from happening.”
Find more information about how the Netherlands puts water centre stage at the UN on World Water Day here.
About “Waterlicht”
“Waterlicht” is the dream landscape about the power and poetry of water. As a virtual flood, it shows how high the water could reach without human intervention and raises awareness around rising water levels caused by global warming. Innovation is engraved in the DNA of the Dutch and its landscape as seen by its innovative water program and creation of dykes. However, it almost seems to have been forgotten. “Waterlicht” is a powerful and poetic experience to remind us of the role and importance of innovation. Originally the artwork was created for the Dutch District Water Board Rijn & IJssel. New site-specific series of “Waterlicht” were created for the Museumplein in Amsterdam which attracted more than 60.000 visitors in 1 night, Lumiere London with 1.5 million visits, Nuit Blanche in Paris, UNESCO Schokland, and the Afsluitdijk in the Netherlands.